


Looking Through Your Eyes

by SpiderButler



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Daddy Charming, Daddy!Charming, Fluff, its basically David loving his family a lot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-10
Updated: 2015-09-10
Packaged: 2018-04-20 03:14:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4771376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpiderButler/pseuds/SpiderButler
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s moments like this, when the loft is swarming with people, the air full of chatter, that Charming, or David, or occasionally James (but that’s usually only when Leroy’s trying to aggravate him), thinks back on the two realities he’s living.</p><p>Or the one where Prince Charming remembers the curse.</p><p>So much fluff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Looking Through Your Eyes

It’s moments like this, when the loft is swarming with people, the air full of chatter, that Charming, or David, or occasionally James (but that’s usually only when Leroy’s trying to aggravate him), thinks back on the two realities he’s living. Whilst he knows that it can’t be anything _like_ what Jefferson and Rumplestiltskin had to deal with before Emma broke the curse, it still feels like there are two realities running through his head. One half of him, the part that was born and raised in the Enchanted Forest, where high-tech was catapults and drawbridges, is still in wonder of the things this realm has created, and he considers it a form of magic, despite the realm’s descriptive name. He supposes the clothes are more practical, much less leather, which anyone will tell you is a nightmare during the hotter months of the year. 

However, there’s also the part of him that is David Nolan, which sometimes surfaces when he thinks about his memories from the duration of the curse. That man would have laughed in your face if you told him that he was living in a town run by the Evil Queen, owned by Rumplestiltskin, and that he was regularly being served breakfast by (not so) Little Red Riding Hood and her Grandmother. It gets especially hard then, when he thinks back to specific memories, because he has so much more knowledge now and he’s recalling the events through what feels like two different people’s eyes. 

He thinks back to when Graham, Emma, Snow and Henry found him at the Toll Bridge after he walked out of the hospital. At the time, he didn’t recognize any of them, but now he looks back on them with a full (real) lifetime of memories, knowledge of their pasts and their relationships and it’s all muddled. He thinks about how it had been the first time he’d laid eyes on his daughter since the day of her birth and how he’d felt nothing, no glow of pride or admiration at how amazing she had become. He spoke to his own grandson, who _knew,_ he knew he was looking at his grandfather, and he felt no amazement at the bravery and love the boy held, despite being miserable with his life. It gives him a headache to remember, the feelings he has towards these people and the conflicting memories of his life and who he was. 

Henry was just the mayor’s kid, the one in therapy because he had an over-active imagination (said the nice ones) or was just plain delusional (said the not so nice ones). Emma was the sheriff who he was supposed to oppose simply because Abigail, or Kathryn at that point (he still struggles with the thought of her as his wife) was a good friend of Regina, and Mary Margaret was a woman who seemed to be pulling him down the wrong path. He thinks about how he would lay down his life for any of them, without a moment’s hesitation. How he _did_ , knowing that his second child would never know it’s father, but at least his family would be together, and would be safe. 

His mind returns to his welcome home party often, speaking to Henry, and exchanging small talk with Emma, feeling no emotions towards either of them. Nothing. The knowledge of that pains him; he’d known, when he put Emma in the wardrobe, that she would grow up without him, without her real family, but he’d been so sure that when he next saw her, it would be a happy reunion, and they’d fall into each others arms and he’d never have to let go again. In reality they had looked right through one another, and she’d continued her life believing she was alone and unloved, save for Henry and Mary Margaret. He’s envious of his wife for that- she’d been able to offer their daughter love and shelter and support, even before she knew who she really was.

The feeling of weight dropping onto the sofa next to him pulls him out of his thoughts and he opens his eyes to see Henry grinning at him. He’s still in awe at how much Henry’s grown over the last year.

“I know you’re a grandpa, but aren’t you still technically to young to be falling asleep in the middle of the day?” He smirks cheekily, and then frowns as his eyes flick over David’s face more carefully. “Are you crying?”

David blinks, noticing the tears in his eyes that he hadn’t felt building up. Luckily none of them had spilled over- the family (even his wife) would never let him live it down. David’s about to deny it when another figure sits itself on the sofa, and he looks past his grandson to see Emma perched on the arm, her feet on the last empty seat. “You alright, dad?”

The last word almost brings the tears down his cheeks, but he reigns it in at the last moment. “Fine, fine.” Emma raises a disbelieving eyebrow at him but says nothing. She would never know how hard her struggle to accept him and Snow had been for him, how much turmoil he had been in thinking that she might never see them as her parents. Emma slides off the arm of the sofa into the empty seat, her legs folding into a pretzel and David can’t hold back the smile at how childlike she still is, even with a job and a teenage son.

“So, grandpa, what do you think about teaching me to swordfight?” Henry’s face is hopeful.

“I thought I did,” David points out. “And I’m fairly certain your father taught you as well.” The memory of Neal is not so painful for the family anymore, and it’s beginning to be possible for the town to remember him with smiles on their faces.

“Yes, but not with _real swords_.” Henry emphasizes the last two words like it’s a sales pitch, and David can tell from the sigh Emma lets out that this is a conversation that’s been brought up and shot down before.

“I don’t think that’s a wise idea, Henry.” David smiles and Henry rolls his eyes.

“That’s what mom says, but I thought, what with my driving lesson and all, that you’d be more fun.” David knows the pout on his face is an act to try and guilt him into the idea.

“It’s still a no.” David grins and Henry sighs.

“It was worth a try.”

“Trying to get yourself into more trouble, lad?” Hook approaches the trio, smiling with amusement, but David thinks he sees fondness in his eyes. Henry sits upright again, talking excitedly.

“Killian, what would you say to-“ 

“No!” David and Emma say simultaneously, and Henry flops back onto the sofa with a frustrated groan. 

“I’m afraid it appears that if I were to agree to whatever request you were about to make I may end up losing my other hand.” Hook says, perching himself on the arm of the sofa where Emma had previously been sat. David looks at the way Hook’s arm naturally falls around Emma’s shoulders, the way Emma curls into him unconsciously, and smiles.

“David!” He looks up to see his wife standing at the kitchen counter and excuses himself from the group to join her. “Can you put these in bowls while I handle refills?” She asks, handing him a couple of bags of chips.

David nods and she kisses him on the cheek, before grabbing a wine bottle off the counter and heading into the crowd. David fills the bowls and places them with the rest of the food. He takes a moment to look around. Regina stands with Robin’s arm around her waist, having what seems to be a (surprisingly) friendly conversation with Ruby and Archie. Gold smiles gratefully at Snow as she refills his glass and Belle says something that makes her laugh and nod. She hands the bottle to the other woman, and takes their son from Granny’s arms, who had been rocking him as she chatted with Leroy.

His eyes follow her as she walks over to the sofa, sliding easily into the seat he had recently vacated. She turns her body so that she’s facing the other three and David watches. He watches how Hook traces his fingers back and forth over Emma’s shoulders unconsciously, and how Emma grins and teases Henry, and how Henry rolls his eyes, but grins back, and how Snow ruffles his hair and smiles down at the baby in her arms. He watches the love and happiness radiating from each of them, and David thinks maybe, just maybe, they turned out alright.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever OUAT fic so please be nice :) feel free to send me prompts, I'm always open to new ideas


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